Urological Screening of a Wild Group of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui): Investigating Trends in Nutrition and Health |
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Authors: | Andrew J J MacIntosh Michael A Huffman Koki Nishiwaki Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki |
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Institution: | (1) Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, Inuyama Aichi, 484-8506, Japan |
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Abstract: | Primates are among the most threatened of animal taxa, and it is therefore increasingly important to examine ways to monitor
their health in the wild. We here investigate trends in nutrition and health in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui) under natural conditions using a common tool from human and veterinary health practices: urinalysis. Between October 2007
and August 2009, we collected 103 urine samples ad libitum from 29 identified individuals of a group of macaques on Yakushima Island. We used multireagent dipstick analysis to examine
variation in 10 urine chemistry parameters across subjects in combination with systematic monitoring of clinical signs of
disease (via focal sampling). Positive tests tended to be transient and weak, i.e., analytes detected in trace amounts, and
were not associated with clinical signs of disease. In addition, most urine samples we collected were highly concentrated
(urine specific gravity ≥1.030), which could have increased the likelihood of detecting clinically insignificant amounts of
analytes that can occur in urine. However, we found that ketone bodies, which are not normally found in urine, were more prevalent
during winter than summer, which may indicate that Japanese macaques inhabiting the richest habitat available to the species
nonetheless experience an energy deficit during periods of low food quality and high thermoregulatory costs. We conclude that
dipstick urinalysis can be used to examine general trends in nutrition and health, but that results must be interpreted with
care because positive tests may not reflect clinically significant urological conditions in many cases. |
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